Sokcho bar with large-group seating and a tofu drinking set: Seo

Looking for a bar on Sokcho's pojangmacha street? Seo Jubang has a generous drinking-food spread ranging from mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) to whole tofu duruchigi.

Address: 12 Yeongnanghaean 6-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea, 1st floor / Daily 18:00 - 03:00 / Parking available

This is the kind of place that's even better with a group.

If you're in Sokcho in the evening wanting good drinking food but want something different from the usual raw fish restaurant or barbecue place... the spot I'm introducing today is worth saving!

It's Seo Jubang, a great pick if you're looking for a bar on Sokcho's pojangmacha street. The drinking-food spread — from mulhoe to whole tofu duruchigi — was more generous than I expected, and the whole time I was eating I kept thinking, "this would be even better with a bigger group."

Which bar to pick on Sokcho's pojangmacha street?

When you travel to Sokcho, the daytime is busy with good food and sightseeing, but once evening comes, the deciding starts all over again.

• "What should we eat tonight?"
• "I want to have a drink, is there anywhere with good food to go with it?"
• "I want to try a few different dishes, not just raw fish..."

Especially when you're moving as a group — friends or family — even picking one menu isn't easy. Someone wants seafood, someone wants meat or something spicy, and someone else wants soup or a simple side.

So when I travel, I tend to prefer a cooking-and-drinks place where you can try several dishes at once, and in that sense Seo Jubang, which I visited this time, was a Sokcho bar I quite liked.

What kind of bar is Seo Jubang in Sokcho?

Seo Jubang is a cooking-and-drinks bar with a good atmosphere for having a drink on Sokcho's pojangmacha street. It didn't feel like just a place to drink — more like a place built for enjoying a variety of side dishes together.

What I liked most was the menu setup. Usually at a bar you spend ages staring at the menu and end up ordering one main and maybe one side.

But at Seo Jubang, there's a "Sokcho jujangsang" (Sokcho drinking table) option that let me worry a lot less. You pick one main dish and it comes with a whole spread — abai baeksundae, squid sukhoe, scallop jeotgal, white golbaengi, pollock roe potato salad and more — and it looked generous the moment it arrived. If you don't want to settle for just one dish on your trip, this kind of set is a welcome sight.

What comes with the Sokcho jujangsang spread at Seo Jubang?

The hardest part of going to a bar with a group is picking the menu. Order one dish per person and the bill climbs, plus you worry about leftovers. That's where a shareable spread like Seo Jubang's Sokcho jujangsang works well.

The main I chose was "whole tofu duruchigi." By name alone it might sound like an ordinary stir-fried tofu dish, but seeing it in person — a whole block of tofu sitting there — it really caught my eye.

It's paired with kimchi jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork with kimchi), which made it a great match for drinking. Since the tofu comes as a whole block, there was even some fun in cutting it into pieces right before eating and having it with the kimchi and pork. Personally, I love this kind of dish.

Rather than eating meat non-stop, having tofu alongside made it feel a bit lighter, and the spicy kick of the kimchi together with the savory pork kept my chopsticks moving. Tofu dishes can sometimes feel plain on their own, but with the kimchi and pork, it felt like the flavors had an anchor.

Eating the tofu with the kimchi and pork gave several textures and flavors in a single bite, and above all, it was the kind of dish that's great for slowly eating while having a drink.

Unusual drinking food in Sokcho: the side dishes worth trying

I also thought Seo Jubang would work well for anyone looking for a date spot in Sokcho. A lot of people want somewhere to sit and talk slowly over a drink, rather than just eat and leave.

If you're planning something a little different for a date in Sokcho, it could be fun to pick a dish with a name that makes you curious, like whole tofu duruchigi, instead of the usual options.

The squid muchim (seasoned squid), steamed white golbaengi, and pollock roe potato salad served alongside were all delicious too!

And then there was abai sundae with squid jeotgal on the side!!! Personally, when I travel, I prefer dishes I can't easily get near home rather than ones that are memorable specifically because I ate them in that region. In that sense, Seo Jubang made this Sokcho dinner a bit more special.

Does Seo Jubang have group seating for a Sokcho group dinner?

When you're looking for a place to eat with a group — friends traveling together, a family gathering, or a company dinner — seating matters just as much as the food. No matter how good the food is, if the table is too small or uncomfortable for a group, it's hard to sit and talk over drinks for long. So if you're looking for a Sokcho group dinner spot, it's worth checking in advance whether group seating is available.

Seo Jubang has an atmosphere well suited to a group visiting and sharing a variety of side dishes, so it's worth considering when looking for a group dinner spot on Sokcho's pojangmacha street. In particular, a set like the jujangsang, where several dishes come together on one table, seemed convenient for a larger group ordering one set and sharing it.

Spending the whole day out and about with friends, then sitting down in the evening with good food and conversation — I find that this kind of time tends to stick in my memory surprisingly well after a trip.

Sometimes I remember what I ate and talked about that evening more clearly than which sights I visited. So if you're looking for a bar in Sokcho with group seating or a cooking-and-drinks place with a good atmosphere, this might be worth keeping in mind.

Ending a Sokcho trip over drinks at Seo Jubang

A day in Sokcho really does fly by. You spend the day looking at the sea, eating good food, and wandering around, and once evening comes you start wondering where to sit down and unwind. Ending the day with good drinking food on Sokcho's pojangmacha street is another kind of travel enjoyment.

Especially at a place like Seo Jubang, where you can enjoy everything from seafood dishes like mulhoe to a filling dish like whole tofu duruchigi, it's easy to find something even if you're visiting with people who have different tastes. If you're someone who thinks "I want to try this, but I also want that," the generous jujangsang set is worth a look.

If you're looking for a bar with a good atmosphere in Sokcho, enjoy a night of travel with good drinking food on the pojangmacha street.

I chose the whole tofu duruchigi this time, but if I visit again, I'd like to try the jujangsang with a different main dish. If you're looking for a place in Sokcho for good food and a drink, remember Seo Jubang!